Fireworks between 1977 and 1982 would release five studio albums and one live recording. After this one, the "band" would break up. From what I've read, Marty McCall was Fireworks. The members of the "band" would come and go, so each album featured a different lineup. Guitarist Jerry Gaston was fairly consistent though, and on Sightseeing at Night co-wrote a number of the songs with Marty.
Marty was a respected singer, and when Michael Omartian produced Christopher Cross' debut, I remember seeing Marty's name on the back cover as a backing vocalist. I knew about Fireworks; I'd just never heard them.
The early '80s was an interesting time for Christian music. The hippie dippy side of the Jesus movement was embracing the business side of the equation, and even the major labels were paying attention, either working out co-distribution deals or releasing albums on their own imprints. For Fireworks, being able to say you were on a major like MCA, even if it was MCA Songbird, was a pretty big deal, and I suspect there was some pressure to deliver a hit.
Now, I'm not sure I spelled it out earlier, but this was my first experience with Fireworks, and frankly I was pretty excited to hear what I'd missed all those years ago. Pulling out the insert with the lyrics and credits, there was also a small brag sheet.
The first thing that greeted my eyes was:
The Voice: Marty McCall
The Music: Explosive
Okay, the hyperbole runs a little thick, but it's a brag sheet, it's supposed to be a little thick. It got thicker:
Sightseeing at Night is a kaleidoscopic burst of rock 'n' roll that's as commercial as any album I've ever heard on AOR or Top-40 radio. An excellent example of crossing all barriers. — Kip Kirby, Nashville Bureau Chief, Billboard Magazine.
Well, if this didn't get my hopes up nothing would.
Speaking of the band, other than Marty on vocals and Jerry Gaston on guitars, there was Dave Kurfman on bass, and to my surprise Louie Weaver was on drums. From Randy Matthews to Petra, that guy got around.
So with expectations suitably inflated, it was finally time to see if the record could back any of it up.
The album opens with "I Got News for You" and no, it's not a cover of an old Randy Stonehill song. It's an honest-to-goodness riff rock song. This was actually sort of unexpected. The song was pretty solid, but the album soon more or less settled into middle-of-the-road territory rather than the harder-edged AOR of Toto IV, which also came out in '82.
There wasn't anything disagreeable here. It was pleasant, and yes, one could argue there was just enough edge here and there to qualify as AOR. As to being commercial, that's a hard one to comment on because, let's face it, striving to be commercial was almost the other side of the coin from being artistically credible. You were one or the other. You sold out; you were commercial. You stuck to your guns and principles and didn't sell records; you were an artist.
Christian music was an already marginalized sub-genre with its own goofy set of rules and expectations that had to balance ministry, artistry, and trying not to suck (so much suckage, it was a terrible time for good music). I have to give it up though, Fireworks didn't sound terrible. From that perspective they sounded as commercial as anything out there. Funny how not sucking was the equivalent of being commercial.
Comments
Post a Comment